Day Off
by xAddictedToWordsx
Summary: Spencer's finally taken a day off, and he's taking Profile-in-Training Henry to the park. Even Spencer can't find trouble at the park...right? Mentions of violence in later parts - rated T as I was unsure of how to rate it or where it's going to go :) . (MorganxReid)
1. Chapter 1

**Spencer Reid/Derek Morgan**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds. Any characters or related settings are not mine and belong to CBS and Jeff Davis unless otherwise stated. **

As the six AM alarm blared in the silence of the room, a dark hand reached out to quickly cut off the harsh sound before his sleeping companion was roused. As the sound died off, a bleary eyed Derek Morgan slowly sat up and rubbed a hand across his face, propping himself up on one arm as the covers fell to his waist. Beside him, the covers slipped from the sleeping form, and Derek carefully lifted them back to tuck around slender shoulders. In the dim light that filtered through the curtains, he took a moment to watch the peacefully sleeping face of Spencer Reid.

The pale light made Spencer's skin almost translucent as Derek ran a fingertip over his left cheekbone, watching him shift gently in sleep as the creases beside his eyes deepened when his brow furrowed. Spencer made a small noise as if to stir from sleep, and Derek quickly shushed him gently back into sleep before the younger agent could fully rouse himself. It was Spencer's day off, and Derek knew how reluctant the young man was to take it, so he didn't want to wake him before heading off to work himself. Carefully smoothing the covers over his boyfriend's shoulders, Derek slid from the bed and gently padded down the hall to the bathroom, bypassing the en-suite for fear of waking Spencer prematurely.

As the warm water rained down, Derek turned his face up to the spray. A day off was just what his Pretty Boy needed after running himself ragged the last few weeks, and although he knew how much Spencer hated the idea of missing work, Derek knew he was looking forward to spending the day with Henry. The smile that had crossed Spencer's face when JJ had suggested he take Henry out whilst Will was away had been blinding, and Derek could have kissed her for giving Spencer something other than academic work to do in his free time.

Derek smiled to himself. No matter how strange it was going to be at work without Spencer, Derek couldn't wait for the younger man to finally relax. Now if he could only keep him asleep until eight AM.

Spencer opened his eyes in time to see Derek slipping from the room, and chuckled under his breath. He had guessed Derek's nly keep him asleep until eigt AM. e at work without Spencer,Spencer pending the day with Henry. the ensuite for fear of self. ploy when they had gone to bed the previous night. The older man thought that Spencer hadn't seen him turn the alarm down as he'd set it, and although Spencer didn't like getting up in the morning, he always woke up when Derek left the bed. He recognised the immediate lack of warmth when the other man moved, and would often roll into the warm spot left behind if Derek got up in the night to go to the bathroom.

He waited until he heard the shower down the hall switch on before he dragged himself out of bed and sleepily rubbed his knuckles into his eyes like a child. He snatched Derek's maroon sweater from the chair beside the bedroom door and slipped it over his head before heading for the kitchen, Clooney finally deciding to move from his spot on the ground by Spencer's side of the bed. His eyes mostly closed and hands still rubbing he sleep from them, he made the journey to the coffee machine mostly by memory, and he felt a smile creep across his face when his hand found the handle of the coffee machine.

Flicking the switch, he hummed gently to himself as he paced around the kitchen looking for food. Like most mornings, he wasn't hungry, but he knew Derek would be, so he trawled through the cupboards until he found the ingredients for pancakes. Normally, Spencer wasn't a very good cook, but he knew how to make pancakes, and since he was in good mood, he didn't mind cooking, especially when he knew that coffee was on the way. Clooney sat by the table and watched as Spencer began cooking, and by the time Derek stepped into the kitchen to the smell of bacon and coffee, the Great Dane was lying out flat on the floor, his nose pressed against the bottom edge of the counter, sound asleep once again.

Spencer felt the arms around his waist before he realised Derek was in the room, but when he did, he leant back into them immediately, not once letting his eyes deviate from the two pans in front of him on the hob.

"What are you doing up at this time, Pretty Boy?"

Spencer waved a hand vaguely in the direction of his coffee.

"Coffee. And breakfast."

He felt Derek laugh against the nape of his neck, the warm breath brushing his skin and sending goose bumps down his spine.

"And so are you going to be joining me for breakfast?"

Spencer wrinkled up his nose at the daily question and looked over his shoulder at Derek's grinning face, rolling his eyes when he realised he was being teased.

"You know the answer to that question. Although I may steal some of _your_ pancakes."

He managed to worm his way out of Derek's arms with the pans as Derek let out a squawk of disdain, and offloaded the pancakes and bacon onto a plate for Derek. Tucking the pans into the sink to clean later, Spencer kissed Derek's cheek as he passed on his way back to the coffee machine to pour himself another cup and get Derek his first. When he turned around, Derek has forgotten his shock and was sat at the table with his plate, Clooney suddenly wide awake and concentrating completely on the movement of food from Derek's plate to his mouth, waiting for anything to fall his way. Spencer laughed as he moved to sit opposite Derek, holding the two cups of coffee in one hand as he scratched Clooney's head with the other. As he sat down, he picked up yesterday's paper that he hadn't had the chance to read the previous day ad spread it out on his side of the table.

"Sorry, Cloon, I think you're out of luck with that one; it doesn't take a genius to figure out he isn't letting any of _that_ fall free."

Derek laughed as he reached over for his coffee, and he gave Spencer a small smile as he took it. "Thanks, Pretty Boy; you didn't have to make me breakfast."

Spencer nodded.

"I know, but I'm in a good mood. I'm taking Henry to the park later; they've got a magic show on that I think he'll really enjoy at the fete they've got going on, and he wants to get his face painted, but he won't tell me what he wants done yet."

Derek raised an eyebrow as he chewed thoughtfully, and swallowed before speaking.

"I didn't think fete's were your thing, Spence; you normally hate things with too many people around."

Spencer shrugged without looking up from the paper.

"Henry wanted to go; I asked him where he wanted to go and he asked me if we could go to the park. Apparently he'd asked JJ but she was working and Will's away so he was going to go to a day care centre instead, seeing as he's off school this week. He seemed really excited about it, so I thought why not?"

Derek smiled at the younger man and reached over to take his hand, gently linking their fingers together on top of the table. He waited until Spencer looked at him before speaking.

"I think it's a great idea, Spence. Henry will love it, and you get to relax once in a while. It's not often he gets to spend time on his own with his 'Uncle Spence.'"

Spencer let his eyes drift down from Derek's as he remembered Henry calling him Uncle Spence, and he flicked the edge of the paper before looking back up to find Derek still smiling at him. He knew Derek though he needed a break, and that's why he hadn't stepped in when Spencer had tried to convince Hotch that he didn't need the day off. In fact, he'd sat at his desk smiling to himself and studiously ignoring the pleading glances Spencer kept sending his way. Now though, Spencer kind of thanked him. Derek was right; it wasn't often that he got to see Henry on his own, and anytime he could help JJ, he was happy to, so it was really a win-win situation all around. He gave Derek's hand a squeeze.

"Yeah, I guess. It'll be fun."

Morgan grinned as he stood to put his plate in the sink, ruffling Spencer's hair as he went past.

"That it will be, Spence."

"Spence, are you sure you don't mind taking him?"

Spencer bounced Henry on his hip as he rolled his eyes at the question that he'd already heard five times since he had arrived half an hour ago. Henry saw him and hid a small laugh behind his hands as he shared a look with Spencer before the young profiler turned back to his best friend.

"JJ, it's fine; we'll have fun. Go to work and don't worry; everything will be fine, and by the time you get home, Henry here will have a brand new face, and we'll have eaten so much ice cream we'll be about to hypothetically explode, right buddy?"

Henry nodded, and they shared a high five as JJ laughed and grabbed her bag.

"Right, well, I'll meet you back here later after work, right?"

They both nodded, and JJ rolled her eyes again as she signalled towards the door.

"Are you two ready then? I'll drop you by the park if you want on my way."

Spencer looked to Henry.

"What do you say? Shall we use mommy as a taxicab?"

Again, Henry nodded, and they high fived again before Spencer set the little boy back on his feet and he headed off to find his shoes as JJ came closer and hugged Spencer. She squeezed him close before pulling away to smile at him.

"Thanks for this, Spence."

He smiled. "Don't worry about it; it'll be fun, and I'm sure it beats day care."

JJ smiled as Henry came thundering back down the stairs, and he grabbed hold of Spencer's hand as the three of them headed out to JJ's car.


	2. Chapter 2

**Spencer Reid/Derek Morgan**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds. Any characters or related settings are not mine and belong to CBS and Jeff Davis unless otherwise stated. **

Hey Guys, hope you enjoyed the last chapter, and if you did, here's the second!

"Rawrrrrrrr!"

Henry jumped towards Spencer, who fell dramatically back on the grass where he was sitting as he pretended to be scared. Henry had just run back over from the face painting stall and was now sporting the face of a lion. He curled his fingers and growled as he stood over Spencer.

"A lion! Oh no, what am I going to do?!"

Henry shook his head at Spencer.

"Uncle Spence, it's me!"

Spencer blinked.

"Henry? Since when did you become a lion?"

Henry plonked himself down on the grass next to Spencer and began plucking grass blades between his fingers, all the time shaking his head at Spencer and tutting.

"It's just face paint, Uncle Spence."

"Well, that's alright then."

They sat in silence for a few moments, Henry getting up every now and again to go and fetch a daisy before bringing it back to create a pile near Spencer's feet whilst the young profiler picked apart blades of grass. Spencer watched him with a smile on his face until a vaguely familiar face caught his attention.

Over by the main tent, a man in his mid-thirties was standing with his hands in his pockets, his dark hair partially obscured by a baseball cap as he watched the surrounding people with interest. His dark eyes were heavy with tiredness, and his face was marred by a scruffy beard that spoke of weeks missing a razor. The baseball jacket he was wearing was marked and old, but it was the insignia stitched into the back that Spencer recognised. The eagle pattern was the same as the one that had been left at each of the seven crime scenes in their most recent case in Quantico. Seven shootings, all in community areas, all on the same night. The team had known there was more than one Unsub by the different treatment the victims received, but they were all left with the same eagle insignia. The man himself had been at the last crime scene, hanging around the outskirts like a curious bypasser, but his rapt expression had made Spencer uneasy to the point he had approached him, at which point the man made a quick exit, mumbling about another appointment.

Turning to look around the park, Spencer let his eyes fall across the crowds surrounding them and caught sight of two more men wearing the same insignia, however theirs were far less conspicuous than the man beside the tent. One man - a tall and lanky Caucasian man with a polo shirt and jeans - bore the eagle in the form of a badge tacked onto his rucksack, whilst the other - slightly overweight, in his fifties, balding – had it tattooed on his left arm. They were cautiously picking their way to the outskirts of the park, and Spencer felt unease prickling in his gut as he watched them.

He looked towards Henry and called him over, keeping an arm around him as he stood before lifting him onto his hip and sliding his phone from his messenger bag. He speed dialled Derek as quickly as he could as he headed for the edge of the park.

Derek answered on the fourth ring.

"Hey, Pretty Boy. Enjoying your day?"

"Derek, I think our Unsubs are here at the park. There's a man wearing a jacket with the same insignia standing outside the main tent, and two others, one with a badge and one with a tattoo. They're acting suspicious."

He heard Derek standing quickly and calling the others over.

"Okay, Spencer, you're on speaker."

"I think some of the guys were after are-"

"Where do you think you're going?"

The voice came from in front of him, and Spencer looked up to see a man with a gun and eagle-emblazoned baseball jacket blocking the main gate. He looked behind him and saw five others including the two others he had seen herding people towards the main tent. He lowered his phone from his ear but didn't cut off the call as he held Henry tighter.

"We were just…um…heading home."

The man smirked, and the scar that ran across his top lip twisted it into a nasty snarl that had Henry hiding his face in Spencer's neck. A baseball cap threw shadows across his face and he shook his head slightly from side to side.

"Not any more. Back to the tent, now."

Spencer didn't want to move. He wanted to whisk Henry home and keep him safe, but he knew that defying the men currently holding the guns would only get them hurt, so he reluctantly turned and began walking back. Henry held tightly to his neck, and Spencer heard him whimper.

"Uncle Spence, I want to go home. I'm scared; why does that man have a big gun?"

Spencer hugged his godson closer and tried to calm him down. He was very aware of the still connected phone call going on in his hand.

"I know you do, Henry; believe me, I do too. But it's okay, we'll be alright, I promise; you've just got to do as I say okay?" He took a deep breath and looked down at the phone. "I'm so sorry, JJ" he breathed as he disconnected the call and ducked into the tent with Henry tucked protectively in his arms.

Inside, everyone was sitting down, huddled together and trying desperately to avoid eye contact with the men circling them with guns. Spencer carried Henry over to the back of the tent and crouched down by the back wall, keeping the little boy slightly behind him, praying that he would be able to keep him safe like he promised.

"I'm so sorry, JJ."

JJ choked out a sob as she heard Spencer's last words before the phone cut off. She could believe it. Her little boy and her best friend were trapped with a group of murderers; they were meant to be safe and having fun, not fearing for their lives. She looked over to Morgan, who was watching her with eyes that were as scared as her own. Another sob escaped, and then Morgan was there, his arms around her, holding her tightly as the others looked at one another helplessly. Things were so much different when their possible victims were loved ones, and it took a moment for Hotch to regain himself and begin planning how they'd approach the situation.

As the team scrambled to work, Morgan steadied JJ and looked into her watery eyes. When they were the only two left in the room, he touched her cheek.

"They'll be okay, JJ. It's Spencer; he'll look after Henry. He'd never let anything hurt him."

JJ nodded as she tried to calm herself. She knew that. She knew that Spencer would give everything to protect Henry. She took a deep breath to calm herself; she wasn't going to be any good to anyone if she was hysterical, especially not Henry and Spencer. She tried to give Morgan a small smile; he seemed to appreciate the effort, because a small, shaky smile crept over his own face, and they shared one final hug before rushing after the rest of the team.

So, How'd I do for the second chapter? Worth continuing? Reviews are MUCH appreciated! xxxxxx


	3. Chapter 3

**Spencer Reid/Derek Morgan**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds. Any characters or related settings are not mine and belong to CBS and Jeff Davis unless otherwise stated. **

Here's chapter three, guys!

Spencer held a shaking Henry as the man that had caught them passed them again. It was the seventh time he had done so, and Henry was getting more and more nervous, his hands clenching and unclenching in Spencer's shirt. He was currently clinging to Spencer's neck and silently crying, as were many people in the tent. It had been several minutes since the police had arrived outside and set up a perimeter barrier not too far from the tent, and he could hear Hotch calling to the gunmen over a speakerphone. He was trying to convince them to give themselves up without hurting anyone, but Spencer could see that his tactics weren't going to work. These men knew they'd be caught, but they seemed determined to take as many people as possible out with them.

As he watched, the men began to search through people's belongings, looking for anything that highlighted people as more valuable than others. Already, they had made a small group of people that they were planning on killing out of the people that had annoyed they so far, and Spencer didn't want him and Henry to end up in that group. Inside his messenger bag, his credentials felt like a ball and chain, and he knew that if they were found, things could turn very ugly for both him and Henry.

As their captors got closer to them, and as the group in the middle of the tent grew larger, the knot in Spencer's gut grew larger. He knew his escape was impossible, but he had been carefully thinking out an idea to help Henry. With Henry still shaking against him, Spencer managed to get his phone out of his pocket, and opened a new message to Derek. He debated telling him he loved him but didn't want to waste time, so instead he sent him a message comprising of two words.

TENT REAR.

Sending the message, he whispered to Henry, making sure it looked like he was only comforting him. He stroked a hand through the little boy's hair as he did so to try and calm him.

"Henry, listen. I need you to do something. When I tell you, I'm going to lift the back of the tent, and I need you to crawl out as fast as you can. I want you to run straight to the barrier, okay? Don't stop for anything. Can you do that?" He felt the little boy nod against him. "Promise me?"

Henry looked up at him with wet eyes. "I promise, Uncle Spence" he whispered.

Nodding, Spencer tucked Henry's face back into his neck as he waited. Out of one of the plastic windows of the tent, he saw the team behind Hotch, and noted when Derek moved away from them, heading towards the other side of the perimeter with Emily. Now he just needed to wait for the right moment.

Two minutes later, that moment came when a man on the other side of the tent lunged for one of the gunmen, and the others turned to see what was happening. As soon as the nearest gunman's attention was caught, Spencer released Henry and slid the peg out of the ground just behind him. Lifting the tent's edge, he kissed Henry's forehead and pushed him towards the gap. Henry looked back at him once, eyes red rimmed and wet, before disappearing under the tent, and Spencer immediately replaced the peg, a weight lifting from his chest.

Releasing a sigh, he turned back to the gunmen, but froze when he saw one on the opposite side of the tent pointing at him whilst whispering to the one that had caught him and Henry. The one with the scar turned towards him, a furious glare on his face as he scanned the ground beside Spencer, noticing Henry's absence immediately. He stalked over to Reid and yanked him up by the front of his shirt.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

Spencer braced himself. His chances of survival had just diminished greatly, and he had to stop his mind from thinking; he didn't want to work out just how low his chances were. He closed his eyes as he was flung into the centre of the tent and let a single thought flit through his mind.

_I'm so sorry, Derek_.

Derek Morgan frowned as his phone buzzed in his pocket. Reluctantly tearing his eyes off the tent in front of him, he flipped it open to see Spencer's name flash up with a new message. His heart in his throat, he opened it, expecting the traditional goodbye message, but instead all it held were two words.

TENT REAR.

He frowned, but tapped Prentiss on the shoulder as he passed, motioning for her to follow him, and together they headed for the other side of the perimeter, stopping behind the tent. Prentiss touched his arm, her dark eyes confused. She gestured back to where the rest of the team were gathered.

"Morgan, what are we doing here? We should be up front."

He shook his head.

"Spencer just sent me a message to be here. I don't know why though."

Just then, their questions were answered. There was movement at the bottom of the tent, drawing their attention and sending their hands reaching for their weapons, and then a small blond head appeared from underneath the material of the tent. A scared and tearful Henry scrambled to his feet as a shout boomed from inside the tent.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

Derek holstered his weapon as he ducked under the security tape despite police officers trying to stop him and sprinted towards the running little boy who was holding his arms up to him with tear stains on his cheeks. Scooping him up into his arms, Derek turned in mid-stride, sending a lingering glance towards the tent, and ran back to the perimeter line, his heart aching with the knowledge that Spencer had probably just been seen helping Henry escape.

As he neared the tape, he saw Emily holding it up, so as soon as he and Henry crossed the tape line, he pulled back to check the little boy out. His eyes were red and swollen from tears that were still leaking from his eyes, but he looked unhurt, just very shaken. His little arms snaked back around Derek's neck and hugged him tightly, so Derek held him close again, Emily's hand stroking down the little boy's back in an attempt to comfort him. The two agents started back around to the rest of the team, Derek throwing worried glances towards the tent every other step, his heart pounding as he wondered what danger Spencer had landed himself in.

JJ jumped as a hand landed on her shoulder, and she turned to see Penelope Garcia standing behind her. The bubbly blonde's usual bright makeup was in streaks down her cheeks, and her eyes were red from crying. JJ threw herself into her friend's embrace and they held each other for a moment before pulling away.

Penelope's voice wavered as she looked around.

"I can't believe it; not Henry and Reid. What's the news? Have you called Will?"

JJ shook her head, biting her lip to hold back her tears.

"There is none. They're not answering or acknowledging Hotch at all. Everyone's still inside. One of them has just been shouting but we don't know what's happening in there. I called Will earlier. He left straight away but he won't be here for hours."

Garcia closed her eyes and pressed her right thumb against her lower lip, but frowned when she looked around again. Her eyes fell to the empty spot at JJ's side. "Where are Derek and Emily?"

JJ followed her gaze, a frown crossing her face when she realised her friends' absences.

"I-I don't know. They were here a moment ago."

Turning back to one another, the two blonde women stood holding hands for a moment, their foreheads pressing together until a shout broke their concentration.

"JJ!"

She turned in time to see Morgan and Emily rushing towards them. Her eyes widened when she saw Morgan. In his arms was a little boy. A little blonde boy dressed in denim shorts and a green t shirt. _Her_ little boy. He looked up, and she saw tear tracks in the lion face paint he wore. Choking on tears, she rushed forward, her arms outstretched until she could lift Henry out of Morgan's arms, hugging him close as his little arms threw themselves around her neck and squeezed, a wail rushing from him.

"Mommy!"

His cry caught the attention of Hotch and Rossi, who both turned to look, and when they saw Henry, they instinctively looked for Spencer, frowning when they didn't see him. JJ held Henry tightly as she looked at Morgan and Emily over the little boy's shoulder. When she spoke, her voice was a broken whisper.

"How?"

Emily looked at Morgan before speaking, but he was looking towards the tent with a tortured expression, so she faced the rest of the team, one hand curling around Morgan's wrist in silent support as she did so.

"Morgan received a message from Reid telling him to go the back of the tent, but he didn't say why. After we got there, the back of the tent lifted and Henry came crawling out. Morgan went and got him and then they started shouting inside. We think Reid might have been seen helping Henry get out; it's possible Reid's now a target."

JJ clenched her eyes shut and buried her face in Henry's hair. Her best friend had just risked his life to save her baby boy. She may never get to thank him. A sob tore up her throat as she thought of Spence dying, and she hugged her little boy a little tighter when she heard him whimper in fear.

Behind her, she heard Rossi swear, and they all turned to see the gunmen emerge from the tent, each holding a hostage in front of them. On the far end, held by the largest of the group, was a pale, terrified looking Spencer.


	4. Chapter 4

**Spencer Reid/Derek Morgan**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds. Any characters or related settings are not mine and belong to CBS and Jeff Davis unless otherwise stated. **

-CM-

-CM—CM—CM—CM—CM—CM—CM—CM—CM—CM—CM—CM—CM—CM—CM—CM—C M—CM-

-CM-

The scarred gunman threw Spencer into the middle with the other six chosen hostages, and a booted foot quickly met his ribcage, driving the air out of his lungs, and he coughed as he rolled onto his side. He felt his messenger bag being ripped over his head, and as his head fell, it connected harshly with the ground, sending red pain flashing through his vision. He gulped in air that burned his ribs as he struggled to sit and blinked to clear his vision as he looked up to see the gunmen pulling his credentials from the bag. They turned to him. The smallest of the group, a rat-faced man with a straggly beard and stained t-shirt, peered at him with malicious eyes.

"A Fed, huh? That could be fun."

The one with the scar slapped him around the back of the head, earning him a squawk and a glare before the smaller man backed away, handing over the credentials as he did so.

"Shut up, idiot. He's a cop, means we're done for. You can't just take a cop hostage ad get away with it. This ends here."

Spencer swallowed at the man's words and looked around the tent. All around the, people were hugging their children tighter as tears crept down their faces, and Spencer closed his eyes in relief that Henry was free. At least he wouldn't be caught in what was about to happen.

The scarred one jerked his head in their direction.

"Grab them."

Spencer felt himself hauled off the ground, and found himself face to face with his original captor. He watched the man's lips as he growled at him, the scar stretching tight as teeth bared and hot breath fanned across his face.

"I'm gonna enjoy shooting you, kid."

Then they were being herded out of the tent, each gunman with his own hostage until they stood in a line in front of the surrounding crowd of police officers and FBI agents, the rest of the hostages still in the tent behind them. Spencer looked ahead and saw his team gathered around Hotch in front of them, Henry clutched tightly in JJ's arms, something that made him smile a little until he saw the devastated expression on Derek's face. He knew it must have been killing him to watch the gunmen and be unable to do anything to stop them, but just as he went to smile at him, the man holding onto him spoke up.

"If you try and shoot any of us, our friends inside the tent and going to start taking potshots at the rest of our hostages. We're using these as examples. They tried standing against us, and we're gonna show you what happens when we don't get our way."

Spencer frowned. There were seven gunmen out of the tent. That meant there were no more in the tent; the gunman was bluffing. He tried to shake his head to let the team know he was lying, but received a hit to the back of the head by his captor's gun for his efforts. Looking back up, he saw Derek being held back by Rossi and Hotch, and JJ and Garcia crying silently as the gunman at the end began speaking.

-CM-

-CM—CM—CM—CM—CM—CM—CM—CM—CM—CM—CM—CM—CM—CM—CM—CM—C M—CM-

-CM-

"This one _begged_ for us to let her and her kiddies go."

Derek watched at a rat-faced gunman held a gun to the head of a middle aged woman who had her eyes closed and was crying. He smirked down at her before stepping back and shooting her in the back. The crack of the gunshot was loud in the sunny afternoon air, and they all jumped at the harsh sound before the muted thump of the woman's body hitting the grass followed. Derek saw Spencer pale and flinch, and wanted nothing more than to take him in his arms and hold him until the danger had passed. He felt Hotch and Rossi gripping his arms tight to stop him from charging forward, and Garcia had her arms wrapped around his back, her face pressed into his back as she cried. To his right, JJ had Henry's face pressed into her neck and Emily was hugging them close as if to protect Henry from hearing what was going on.

The gunmen went on down the line, from the seventeen year old boy who had told them they wouldn't get away with it to the older man stood beside Spencer who had tried tackling one of the gunmen shortly before. With every gunshot and every fallen body, Spencer got paler, and looked more and more anxious, and when it came to his turn, he locked eyes with Derek and didn't let go.

The man behind him chuckled darkly.

"And this one. Well, first he snuck a little brat out of the back of the tent-" he hit Spencer across the back of the head with his gun again, holding him up to stop him from collapsing "-and _then_ we find out he's a federal agent. How does it feel, to have one of your own in our little line up? How does it feel to be powerless, _Agent_ _Hotchner_? How does it feel to know he's going to die?"

The gunman stepped back and laughed again, putting space between him and Spencer before he levelled his gun with Spencer's back. He looked around at the team, meeting each pair of eyes with a cold satisfaction before he cleared his throat and the team saw his eyes zero in on Spencer's back.

Spencer locked eyes with Derek, and his mouth formed words as the crack of a gunshot echoed through the park.

_I love you._

Spencer's body jerked, and his eyes shot wide before he stumbled forward a step, and he pressed a hand to his chest. Beneath his hand, just below his right collarbone, his white shirt began to blossom a red stain over his right pectoral, and he fell to his knees with a gasp before the gunman planted a foot in his back and kicked him into the ground.

Derek threw himself forward with a pained cry "Spencer!" Penelope gripped him tighter and her cries intensified as Derek's heart shattered and he felt his knees give him and drop him to the ground, taking Gracia and nearly Hotch and Rossi with him. His whole world narrowed on the slender man lying in a growing blood stain on the grass in front of them, until a shout came from the police officers to the side of the perimeter as the gunmen raised their guns towards the crowds.

"Fire!"

Several shots fired at once, and the seven gunmen fell where they stood, and the crowd held their breath, but there were no gunshots from inside. Instead, shaking civilians began to creep out of the tent one by one, holding their children close, as it became apparent that there were indeed no more gunmen other than the ones who had been standing outside. Derek pulled himself free of the arms holding him and rushed to Spencer's side, clinging to the idea of a miracle.

Rolling the younger man onto his back, Derek choked at the sight of him bleeding and unconscious, and pushed the hair away from the young genius' face before a small whimper drew him back. Shaking fingers came to lie over the pulse point in Spencer's neck, and the faint shuddering pulse that beat there almost caused Derek to collapse where he knelt. Choking back a sob, he started shouting.

"Medic! Medic! I've got a pulse! He's alive! Someone help me!"

There was a sudden flurry of activity, and Derek found himself being pulled back by Emily and Garcia as medical staff swarmed around Spencer's prone figure. He caught one of the paramedics by the shoulder and caught his attention, only half sure of his actions as he kept his eyes on Spencer the entire time. He didn't elaborate anything, but instead gave only one instruction.

"No narcotics."

Derek stood with tears in his eyes that he refused to let fall as he watched his partner being loaded onto a stretcher and rushed away, and when he moved to follow them, Hotch stepped in front of him.

"There's no room in the ambulance, Morgan."

He felt anger spiking. He tried to push past but found himself held back again. He turned his red eyes towards the team leader once again, trying to convey without words how much he _needed_ to be with Spencer, but the dark haired man seemed immovable. The fight seemed to flag from Derek's body as he slumped where he stood, and he had almost let go of the tears in his eyes when he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Rossi smiling at him, and when the Italian nodded toward the road, Derek felt hope singing in his veins.

"Come on, Morgan; I'll run you to the hospital. You too, JJ; they'll want to check Henry over."

The two FBI agents looked at one another and smiled, JJ still holding a now quiet Henry close, and they quickly followed Rossi out of the part to his car. When they reached the vehicle, JJ and Henry climbed in, but Derek waited to face Rossi before they drove off. Facing the older man, Derek swallowed hard before he could speak, and when he did, he did so looking the other man in the eye.

"Rossi, thank you _so_ much. You don't know how much this means to me."

The older Italian smiled. He rested a hand on Derek's shoulder as he spoke, his dark eyes warm and understanding.

"I think I do. You guys are all my family, and none of us want to see Spencer hurt. Hotch wasn't trying to be harsh when he wouldn't let you go; he just knew the ambulance would be hectic enough as it was. We'll get there five minutes after the ambulance, I promise; our genius will be back on form in no time, you'll see."

Another smile had Rossi pulling Derek in for a quick hug which the darker man clung to for a moment before they both pulled away and climbed into the car, Rossi glancing back in the mirror towards JJ and Henry, who was clapping his hands against his mother's with a solemn expression on his face. As they began driving, Derek stared out of the window, but was quickly distracted by a small voice from behind him.

"Uncle Derek?"

He turned in his seat to see Henry looking up at him, blonde hair falling over his face before JJ hooked it back behind his ear.

"Yeah, buddy?"

"Is Uncle Spence going to be okay? He didn't look okay."

Derek swallowed hard as he went to answer, because suddenly his throat was tight and tears were threatening to choke him, but after swallowing hard for a moment or two, he spoke in a hushed, slightly choked voice.

"Yeah, buddy, he'll be fine. It's your Uncle Spence; he's not going to leave you, is he? Besides, you never managed that magic show, right? He's got to be around for that."

The little boy watched him for a moment, and Derek suddenly saw how people found it so hard to lie to four year olds; they looked straight through you at times, and it was worrying how doubtful he was that Henry believed him. But eventually, the little boy nodded and looked out of the window.

"I guess you're right. Uncle Spence likes magic shows."

Morgan smiled sadly before turning back around after catching JJ's worried eye. As he watched the buildings flash past the car window, he sighed under his breath. Henry was right; Spencer did like magic shows, and it seemed to Derek that he may need a little magic to help him through.

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Beeping and voices surrounded him as he felt the ground beneath him moving. A pinch in his hand and the steady cool of something flooding through his veins before his head felt light and dizzy, but he heard his name being called before a list of medical conditions were called out to somewhere behind him.

He tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids seemed to be made of lead and stubbornly refused to move. He flexed his fingers, trying to reach out, but when they encountered only scratchy sheets, he wanted to frown.

_Where was he?_

_Where was Derek?_

_What was happening?_

Spencer felt himself drifting away, but before he faded completely, he thought a single word managed to escape his mouth.

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	5. Chapter 5

**Spencer Reid/Derek Morgan**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds. Any characters or related settings are not mine and belong to CBS and Jeff Davis unless otherwise stated. **

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"Where's my Junior G-Man? Derek, what's the news?"

Derek looked up as Garcia came rushing around the corner followed by the rest of team, and he only just had time to push himself to his feet before the blonde whirlwind threw herself into his arms. The tears from her eyes ran down his neck, and he could feel the makeup smudging against his skin as the pair clung to one another.

He took comfort from her embrace as he thought about Spencer's most recent update. He had flatlined twice in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, but when they had arrived, he had been mumbling Derek's name. He'd been taken straight into emergency surgery, but wasn't expected out for some time, so now it was a waiting game, and one that Derek didn't want to play. He had never been the most patient of men, but when he was helpless and scared, he was almost insufferable. He had been shouted at by three nurses so far for constantly asking for updates, and would have been banned from the waiting room if it wasn't for JJ smoothing things over for him. In the end, he had Henry to thank for his eventual distraction; halfway through yet another bout of pacing, the little boy had called out to Derek, and asked him to read him a book the nurse had given him. Derek had been about to look to JJ to get her to take over when the little boy had told him that usually Spencer was the one to read to him, but would Derek read to him until Uncle Spence could? The scared-but-hopeful glint in the little boy's eyes had broken Derek's heart, and with a soft sigh, he dropped down in the chair next to Henry and waited for the little boy to drop down on his knee before he opened the book and began to read.

Penelope's sniffles drew his attention back to the present, and he realised he had never given them an answer. As he relayed the news of Spencer's condition to the others, he was their faces become paler one by one until they all lowered themselves into the hard plastic chairs of the waiting area, each lost in memories and fears for their friend and team member. After a moment or two, Derek himself joined them, and they all settled in to play the waiting game that nobody knew how it was going to end.

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"Agent Morgan?"

Derek startled awake at the soft voice that came from beside him as a hand landed on his shoulder, and he looked up to see a pretty blonde nurse leaning towards him, a clipboard in the crook of her arm as she waited for him to fully focus. She nodded towards the door of the waiting room, and it took him a moment to realise that she most likely had an update on Spencer's condition. He moved to stand but paused when he became aware of the weight against his shoulder, and when he looked down, he saw Penelope asleep on his shoulder, makeup streaked down her face in tear tracks.

Being careful not to wake her, he gently eased her up and over to Emily who sat on her other side, her head tilted back against the wall as she slept. With nothing more than a gentle stir, the bubbly tech settled back down to sleep, and Derek made his way over to the edge of the waiting area with the nurse, passing a sleeping JJ on the way. She was asleep in one of the chairs with Henry curled up on her lap after the little boy had refused to go home until he knew that his Uncle Spence was going to be okay. Will had called before they had managed to drop off to sleep, telling her he would be with them by the morning, and since then, the blonde Media Liaison had been visibly calmer and more collected. Still, her arms were still wrapped tightly around her son as they slept, and she looked tense, a small frown coming together between her eyebrows as she stirred minutely in slumber.

The only other person in the room that was awake was Hotch, who sat in the corner staring at the clock beside a sleeping Rossi who was quietly snoring to himself as he slept. Derek and his boss shared a nod and a small, strained smile as Derek slipped from the room with the nurse, and he took a deep breath before he looked up at her, a weary gaze in his eyes. She gave him a sympathetic smile.

"I know it's been a long time since anyone spoke to you, so I thought I'd come and give you an update on Spencer."

Derek rubbed a hand over his head, suddenly wishing he had hair to pull in frustration.

"Spencer was brought in at noon. It's now, what? Two AM? How long was he in surgery?"

The nurse looked sympathetic. She laid a hand on his arm as she sensed his buried frustration, and she smiled again, but her smile was the last thing Derek wanted to see. The only smile he wanted to see, the only smile he _needed_ to see, was Spencer's, and Derek didn't think he could properly breathe again until he saw it. He levelled his gaze on the nurse and crossed his arms, one thumbnail finding its way to his mouth as he waited for the news. He didn't have to wait long.

"Spencer was in surgery for five hours after he was brought in and he's been in intensive care ever since, but he's woken prematurely due to the fact that we didn't use any narcotic medication on him. We've been trying to call you at home for the last couple of hours before we realised you were all still in the waiting room. Spencer's surgery repaired the damage that the bullet did to his right lung, and he needed blood transfusions to replace fluids he lost before he arrived at the hospital, but everything went okay; we didn't lose him again on the table, so the doctors are very hopeful for a full recovery. I came to find you because he's come to and he's asking for you, but he probably won't be awake for long; he's still very weak, and he needs as much rest as he can get."

Derek felt a smile creep across his face, and he let a small, breathy laugh escape before he buried his face in his hands and then ran them back to rub furiously at his head. The relief bubbling through him was so great that he had to restrain himself from shouting in the quiet halls of the hospital, and he instead compensated by letting out a long shuddering breath as the nurse smiled widely at him. With his hands covering his mouth, he slowly turned in a circle, staring up at the ceiling as the stress and worry from the night before dropped away and left him feeling lighter and more positive than before. She motioned down the hall, and he jumped at the chance to follow her through to Spencer's room, a smile on his face the whole way.

When they reached the intensive care ward, the nurse stepped back and let Derek in before leaving, and just inside, he was handed a plastic apron to put on before being led to a small side rom with the name 'Spencer Reid' on the clipboard at the door. Knocking quietly, Derek closed his eyes in thankful relief at the scratchy "Come in" that sounded from inside. The sound itself was horrible, as if Spencer was forcing his voice through grated vocal chords, but at the same time, it was the most beautiful sound that Derek had ever heard.

Pushing the door open, he peeked around the frame and felt a small smile lifting his lips when he saw a very tired yet expectant Spencer lying in the bed on the other side of the room. Slipping into the room, he closed the door behind him quietly and hurried to perch on the edge of the mattress beside Spencer's hip, one hand coming to rest on the slender waist beneath the thin covers.

A tired smile crossed Spencer's face as weary eyes came to rest on Derek's face, but no words passed between them for a few moments as they stayed watching one another's faces, just memorising the details that they had thought they would never see again. Then Derek lifted his hand to rest against Spencer's cheek, where his darker skin stood out more starkly than normal against the pallid tone of the younger man's skin, and his thumb stroked gently across his cheekbone.

Words and tears caught in his throat, and as he blinked, he felt the burn of a tear released, quickly followed by the gentle coolness of the drop sliding down his face, and couldn't even bring himself to regret his tears. He had held them back for hours, ever since he had seen the bullet hit Spencer in the park, and now they needed to be released, his eyes slipping shut as they did so.

Opening his eyes, he saw the lines of pain etched into Spencer's face and lifted both of Spencer's hands to his mouth to gentle kiss the backs of them before leaning down to ever so gently kiss the young genius on the mouth, all the while being careful not to hurt him. His tears dripped down onto Spencer's cheeks, and he wiped them away with the gentle caress of his thumb before he let out a small, tearful laugh that Spencer echoed quietly so not to aggravate his chest. The two stared at one another for a full minute before Spencer took a small breath to speak. When he did, it was quiet and hushed, and Derek could hear the tears behind his words.

"_I'm so sorry, Derek_."

Derek shook his head defiantly, determined that Spencer was not going to blame himself for what had happened. He squeezed Spencer's hands again and spoke quietly.

"Don't. Don't _ever_ apologise for being yourself. I know you did what you did to protect Henry, and you did, Spence. _It_ _worked_. I just wish you hadn't got hurt because of it. But that wasn't your fault; the fault lies only with the men that held those guns. You've got _nothing_ to be sorry for."

"_But I nearly left you behind. I didn't want to._"

Derek's heart almost broke at the shattered, fearful tone of Spencer's voice.

"I know you didn't want to, Pretty Boy, but you didn't leave me, Spence. You're still here, and that's where you're going to stay, you hear me? I won't _let_ you go anywhere, I promise."

His words seemed to calm Spencer some, and he smiled a little before tilting his head up for another kiss, one that Derek gladly gave him. A yawn from Spencer caught them both by surprise, and Derek leant back with a small smile. He slipped from the bed into the chair beside it and pulled it forward until he could lean his arms on the mattress beside Spencer. He leant forward to brush Spencer's hair out of his face and let his hand rest on the younger man's cheek.

"Go back to sleep, Pretty Boy. I'll be here when you wake up, I promise."

Spencer smiled and shifted slightly to grasp Derek's hand with his own, squeezing gently before he slid into sleep with a mumble.

"_Love you, Derek_."

Derek smiled.

"I love you too, Spencer."

As he watched Spencer slip back into sleep, Derek finally let his nerves show. His hands took on a slight shake, and his breath hitched, but when he looked back to his Pretty Boy sleeping peacefully next to him, his hand a light yet reassuring weight in his grasp, he could feel the nerves being battled back by hope and determination. His Spencer would be okay.

He had to be.

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Did you really think I could kill off Spencer?! Never! The story's nearly finished, guys; I'm just trying to think of a good way to wrap it up, but it'll be up as soon as possible! Thank you so much for your reviews, guys! They mean so much!

*Note – I wasn't 100% sure about some things, like surgery times or how long it takes to wake up from major surgery, so I mostly guestimated! Hope I wasn't too off! *

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